Pope's Harley Sells for $327K at Charity Auction

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In this June 12, 2013 photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis stands by a Harley-Davidson he was donated, at the Vatican. A 1,585cc Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide, donated to Pope Francis last year and signed by him on its tank, will be sold at auction in Paris to help raise funds for a soup kitchen and hostel for the homeless in Rome.

Updated at 5:18 AM EST on Friday, Feb 7, 2014

Pope Francis' Harley-Davidson is hitting the road after an unspecified European buyer agreed to pay 241,500 euros ($327,000) including taxes and fees for the motorcycle at a Paris auction to benefit charity.

The Bonhams auction house said the telephone buyer agreed to pay far more than the expected pre-sale price of more than 12,000 euros ($16,000) at the auction at Paris' Grand Palais.

A Harley-Davidson leather jacket signed by Pope Francis sold for 57,500 euros including fees.

It's unknown whether the pontiff ever rode the custom 2013 Dyna Super Glide that was a gift from Willie Davidson, a retired Harley-Davidson designer and grandson of the company's co-founder.

Money from the sale will be donated to charity Caritas Roma, which runs a soup kitchen and hostel for the homeless in Rome.